Over 300 Kaduna kidnap victims still in terrorists' den

…As security apparatchiks engage in ad-hoc meetings

The security agencies appear to be overwhelmed with the gale of kidnapping and general insecurity in the country. Despite the Federal Government assurances of rescuing the over 250 kidnapped pupils in Kajuru, Kaduna State, there has been no positive news to that effect.

To worsen the situation, another 61 persons were abducted last Wednesday by terrorists who allegedly moved from house to house picking their victims without resistance.

Since the sad developments, the high echelon of security agents has had numberless meetings that have so far yielded no result.

The other day, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Service Chiefs led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, and some governors from the Northern states, held meeting to discuss the rising insecurity in the country.
The discussion centred on strategic plans on how to rescue the internally displaced persons, school children and Tsangaya students abducted by terrorists in Borno, Kaduna and Sokoto states.
Such security meetings have been a regular feature, particularly each time the terrorists strike.

A school proprietor, who expressed concern over the growing cases of abduction of pupils and teachers accused the government of behaving like the mother hen whenever a hawk carries one of the chicks.

The school administrator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that each time a hen loses a chick, despite the prancing and shouting, it does not go beyond that. He accused the Federal Government of not doing enough to combat insecurity in the country.

“I, as a citizen, am worried about the way our government goes about the fight against insecurity. I grew up in the village and saw what the mother hen used to do each time a chick is carried away by a hawk. The mother hen would shout, prance about and make a loud noise as if it would do the unimaginable. But surprisingly, in a matter of seconds, it would calm down and continues with her normal life; but the chick is gone. That is what I see the government do over the years. We must go beyond shouting, and endless security meetings to implementing whatever decisions arrived at such meetings. That is how to move forward. That is how to get result,” he said.

While apprehension has gripped Nigerians, President Bola Ahmed made a controversial statement that payment of ransom has been cancelled.

But many Nigerians think that Tinubu appears overwhelmed and as a result lacked the appropriate word to say in the circumstances he has found himself.

Some have also challenged him to match his word louder with actions, considering that he had made many promises in the past aimed at assuaging the anger of Nigerians against his administration’s policies, but failed to keep them.

In his inaugural speech, President Tinubu promised to make security top priority of his administration, promising among other things, to provide security personnel with better training, equipment, pay and fire power.

But observers say just like his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu is not doing enough and has largely failed so far, while the spate of kidnapping for ransom, killings and other criminal activities have worsened in the last few months.

The government is battling on all fronts; controversial reforms and policies have led to an economic crisis and spike in the prices of goods and service, inflation at a record high, abductions have become a daily affair especially in several Northern states.

Over the years, successive governments have deployed soldiers and bombed suspected hideouts used by the terrorists and armed groups but that method has not solved the situation.

Large ungoverned swath of land in several Northern states, gives the terrorists the liberty to attack schools that are without fences and with little or no security presence.

In these abductions, families have had to sell their cars, land, or pool money together to pay ransom to the terrorists to secure the release of their loved ones. In most instances school children and women are their target, tearing many communities and families apart.

The Financial Times of London, just a few days ago, defined the kidnapping racket going on in Nigeria as the symptom of a failing state.

“One of the most important responsibilities of the government to its citizens is the protection of lives and property. I think we can all safely agree, devoid of partisanship, that the government is failing in this regard.

“What happened in Kaduna is a sad reminder of the unfortunate Chibok debacle,” Ladipo Johnson, lawyer and public affairs analyst, said.

A report by research firm, SBM, in July 2023, said kidnapping for ransom has eclipsed other motivation for abduction, especially political reasons.

Similarly, a recent report from SBM revealed that 7,000 people have been kidnapped throughout Nigeria since President Tinubu took office in May last year.